The current supply of cold patch isn't enough to fix Erie County's roads, according to legislators. Several are asking for $5 million more in surplus funds to fix roads.
The $5 million could pay for up to 55,000 more tons of cold patch, which temporarily fixes potholes before the weather warms the roads. Summer is the best time to implement long-term fixes, but Dixon says road crews have to scramble to keep up until then.
Drivers on roads like Lakeview Road have to swerve to the middle of the road, the opposite lane, and even hug the edge of the asphalt to avoid potholes.
"I drive on the other side, where the potholes aren't," Don Pulinski of Lakewood said. He commutes on Lakewood Road at least three times per week, and says he avoids it as much as he can because of the potholes.
Correction: According to the Erie County Department of Public Works, the numbers related to the amount of cold patch used are inaccurate. Only about 1,200 tons of cold patch has been used across the entire county, not 300 million tons. We have updated the text portion of our story to remove the inaccurate reference, however, we are unable to edit the video version, and have removed it from the story.
